1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to work holders for electrical circuit assemblages and more particularly to the automated gripping of multiple lead electronic devices.
2. Background Description
Robots are used for the assembly of electronic equipment such as for mounting multiple lead IC chips and other electronic components on circuit boards. Examples of such devices include ceramic chip carriers, relays, transformers, IC components, resistor network components and other components having pins or fragile leads which may, for example, be on 0.050 inch centers. The components typically include from 24-54 such pins which are about 10.5 mils in diameter which are to be inserted into holes which are about 14-18 mils in diameter.
A holder device is attached to a robotic arm for picking up a pre-positioned component from a feeder and moving the component to a shear for the purpose of shearing the ends of the pins to a uniform length. The same arm, or in some cases another arm also having a holder device, then moves the component from the shear and mounts the component on the board by insertion of the sheared pins into associated holes in the board.
Various holder device include Bernoulli type, vacuum type and remote center compliant devices. These are limited in that they usually cause the component to move from its original orientation in the feeder to the orientation forced on the component by the interface of the holder and component.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present devices. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.